2024 NFL Draft: Week 6 college football preview & live chat

It’s Week 6 of college football, which means we’re hitting the halfway point of the regular season. It could be a very impactful week at the top of the College Football Playoff with three of the top four ranked teams in the country involved within matchups of unbeatens. No. 1 Georgia faces an undefeated No. 20 Kentucky. No. 4 Ohio State gets an undefeated Maryland and No. 3 Texas faces off against No. 12 Oklahoma for the 2023 version of the Red River Rivalry.

Just as any other, we need to get you prepped for the day with the top three player matchups you need to keep an eye on. Let us know what you’re watching throughout your day down below.

Georgia Offensive Line (OC Sedrick Van Prann, OG Tate Ratledge, OT Xavier Truss) vs. Kentucky Front -7 (JJ Weaver, Trevin Wallace, So. Deone Walker)

This is one of the best unit matchups of the week featuring a very strong Georgia offensive line that’s still seemingly without star right tackle Amarius Mims for another week. Xavier Truss — the Bulldogs’ talented right guard — is taking over duties as the right tackle in his place. Ratledge and Van Prann complete the right side that is littered with NFL talent.

Kentucky holds Weaver, who is something of a chess piece due to his duality to rush the passer and be an effective dropper in zone. Wallace has been relentless as a downhill presence between how he blitzes and attacks his gap in the run game. He’s a true play maker at his off-ball linebacker spot. Walker is a star who’s not draft eligible at this time. But he already looks like one of the best interior defensive lineman in college football.

Texas A&M WRs (Ainias Smith, So. Evan Stewart) vs. Alabama DBs (CB Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB Terrion Arnold, S Malachi Moore)

A few weeks ago when the Aggies faced another strong defensive back group at Auburn, A&M barely threw the football. Hopefully that strategy changes in this matchup as there are major draft implications hovering around the perimeter. Smith is a draft-eligible prospect while Stewart is likely to be a very high draft pick in 2025. Moose Muhammad III is another to watch for the Aggies, but his production has been lacking this season.

Alabama has a strong defense led by a stout group of defensive backs, beginning with potential CB1 Kool-Aid McKinstry. Arnold is no slouch on the other side of the field. Moore is a veteran play maker who gets run in the slot for the Tide. If you’re into future stars who aren’t draft eligible, Tide true freshman safety Caleb Downs is a star in the making.

LSU WRs Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. vs. Missouri CBs Kris Abrams-Draine and Ennis Rakestraw Jr.

This is a true battle of the SEC’s best at their respective positions. Nabers has been a household name throughout 2022 and has only built on that in 2023 as he’s pacing to easily go over 1,000 yards and 10 scores. Thomas has been excellent this season and already is on pace for 1,000 yards and has eight touchdowns in five games. Both Nabers and Thomas are physical freaks and tracking to be high draft selections this coming draft.

Missouri has one of the best corner tandems in the country with Abrams-Draine and Rakestraw. Abrams-Draine already has three interceptions and six pass breakups this season. Both players are effective in assisting in the run game. This matchup will be a tell-all in both of their draft stocks for how they handle LSU’s talented wideouts.

Game of the Week

No. 3 Texas vs. No. 12 Oklahoma

Noon EDT

ABC

There’s not much better in the sport than a Red River Rivalry matchup between an unbeaten Texas and Oklahoma. The two teams both have big goals in 2023 with hopes for the College Football Playoff. Those goals will run through Dallas this week in one of the best rivalry games in college football.

When Texas is on offense, there’s plenty of prospects you’ll need to know across the board. The team is led by first-round hopeful quarterback Quinn Ewers who has already had a marquee performance against Alabama earlier this year. He’s in the thick of the battle for QB3 in the 2024 NFL Draft and has plenty of recruiting pedigree as a former top-three-overall player in his class.

Running back Jonathon Brooks has come out of nowhere after waiting his turn behind stars Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson a year ago. But Brooks looks like the real deal in his own right, averaging nearly seven yards per carry this season.

Two wide receivers you need to know for the Longhorns are the speedy Xavier Worthy who is a threat to score on any play and talented Georgia transfer and target sponge AD Mitchell, Mitchell has had his best games under the biggest lights this year. We will see if that trend continues against the Sooners. Tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders looks like the clear TE2 in the draft class upcoming. He had a recent injury scare, but the explosive mismatch weapon is looking like he may play in this game.

Right tackle Christian Jones is a veteran for the Longhorns amidst a very youthful front five and he’s started a ton of games.

Oklahoma’s defense is highlighted by talented safety Billy Bowman who will play from the slot and deep alignments. Bowman is a smooth coverage asset for the Sooners who will have a big task in guarding Texas’ pass catchers. Wake Forest transfer edge Rondell Bothroyd was a publicized addition for the Sooners this offseason. Both parties are still awaiting the results, but this is a big potential moment for Bothroyd.

Oklahoma’s offense has normally been the “who’s who” of college football. But this year is more of a trial by committee on that side. They’ve been successful so far with that in mind. We’ll see if one player can take hold of this game amongst skill players. Right tackle Tyler Guyton is a talented pass protector with tools to work with for the Sooners

Texas has quite the interior defensive line unit led by T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy II. Sweat is a massive plugger in the middle while Murphy II brings the juice next to him as the explosive penetrator and pass rusher.

Linebacker Jaylan Ford is one of the best coverage linebackers in the country. You can see his understanding for baiting quarterbacks and getting in passing lines that combines perfectly with his quality athleticism.

Cornerback Jahdae Barron is having himself a fantastic season. Barron is a very effective slot player making himself some money. Safety Jalen Catalon is an Arkansas transfer who was once thought of highly in draft ranks despite being undersized, but injuries have derailed him some. He’s now healthy and at Texas — still playing with just as much aggressiveness and coming downhill with bad intentions.